Tesco Plymouth teams up with Rowe’s Cornish Bakers to celebrate RNLI fundraising

Tesco and local suppliers, Cornish baker Rowe’s, are celebrating a successful year of fundraising for the RNLI across the south west.

A delicious range of chocolate chip and orange biscuits, produced especially for the RNLI by Rowe’s has raised more than £8,000.

The chocolate chip and orange biscuits were on sale in 77 stores in Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Hampshire with 10p from the sale of every pack, priced at £1, donated to the lifesaving charity.

Rowe’s Cornish Bakers, based in Penryn, and Tesco came up with the idea of a partnership to help the local community, and felt the RNLI was the natural choice to support.
Bill Pilbeam, store manager for Tesco on Transit Way in Plymouth attended the cheque presentation. Bill’s family experienced first-hand the efforts of the RNLI in 2014.

“My son Joe and his friend Mike were fishing in Cornwall when they were both hit by a freak wave. Mike was swept out to sea,” he said. “My son called the coastguard, and the RNLI and Air Sea Rescue were there within minutes. My wife and I watched as the lifeboat searched for the rest of the day covering mile upon mile of the sea in precise patterns, calculating the tide and current flows so they could look for him in the most likely places.

‘Although Mike was lost to the sea, we knew and felt in our hearts that nothing more could have been done to find him by these brave people.’

Libby Ball, Marketing Manager at Rowe’s, adds: ‘There are many worthwhile causes, but the RNLI is one close to our hearts. Due to our location on the coast, the opportunity to raise money to help support and develop the fantastic work they carry out in keeping the public safe on our beaches and in our waters was one we wanted to support as best we can.’

To celebrate the funds raised, the team at Rowe’s have created a celebratory biscuit highlighting the £8,000.

Rosey Oakes, RNLI Community fundraising manager, adds: ‘Thank you to Tesco customers for helping us raise this fantastic sum of money. Our volunteer lifeboat crews and lifeguards are only able to carry out their lifesaving work thanks to the generosity of our supporters and corporate relationships such as this.’